Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Oct 2007
Review Historical ArticleThe history of anesthesia for thoracic surgery.
Today, thoracic surgeons routinely perform complex operations on even the most complicated patient. However, just 75 years ago the ability to operate within the chest was strictly limited to only the simplest and quickest procedures. The dramatic advances in the specialty of thoracic surgery have closely paralleled the introduction of new anesthetic practices, equipment and drugs. This review will identify major events in the history of anesthesia for thoracic surgery.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Oct 2007
Case ReportsMyotonia congenita and regional anaesthesia with peripheral nerve stimulation: a case report.
Myotonia congenita is a rare disorder caused by a defect in the skeletal muscle chloride channel function, which may cause sustained membrane depolarisation. We report a case regarding a 52-year-old man affected by this muscular pathology and scheduled for shoulder surgery that was performed under sedation and peripheral nerve block. The international literature does not elucidate clear preference toward a particular anaesthesia technique, but we believe that in this setting, regional anaesthesia and complete monitoring should be preferentially utilized when possible. In any case, the anaesthesia plan should be prudent and avoid exposure to known dangerous anaesthetics.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Oct 2007
Proposal of a flexible structural-organizing model for the Intensive Care Units.
The aim of this study was to verify the capability of the Italian Group for the Evaluation of Intervention in Intensive Care Medicine (Gruppo Italiano Valutazione Interventi in Terapia Intensiva, GiViTI) Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in providing high level care (HLC) and to develop a flexible organiziational model, allowing for different levels of care in each ICU. ⋯ To maximize the staff and equipment resources available, the bed numbers of a general ICU providing HLC must vary, even daily, according to the level of care provided. This level is not always high for all patients present. Applying this organizing model to each ICU, we could have enough flexibility to face the different demands for assistance if the ICU is built as a large open space to achieve the best clinical model and use of resources.